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Lorenzo Ramos: "There is no better forum than FENAVIN to talk about the future of the wine sector"

The President of the National Trade Fair on Wine, Nemesio de Lara, requests unity of the sector in the inauguration of the UPA sessions

07.05.2009 |

The Union of Small Farmers, UPA, has chosen FENAVIN as the seat for the celebration of its session "The wine-growing sector in the new CMO", which will take place all morning in lecture hall 6. The President of the National Trade Fair on Wine, Nemesio de Lara, was present at the inaugural act, along with the Federal Secretary of the UPA, Lorenzo Ramos, and the Secretary General of the organization in Ciudad Real, Martín Lorenzo.

The first to intervene before an audience of one hundred small and medium-sized vine growers was Nemesio de Lara, who put special emphasis on the need for unity amongst the wine producers. In the opinion of the President of the trade fair and of the Provincial Government of Ciudad Real, there are thousands of small and medium-sized farmers in the sector that "together have sufficient capacity to make their voices heard in the forums that really count".

De Lara explained to the attending public that with the organization of the Trade Fair "the Provincial Government involved itself in a matter that did not really correspond to it", as it had no competences in this matter, yet it did so "in benefit of the farmers". This initiative that at the time raised more than one skeptical voice, has now turned into a national and European referent, even into a global referent, he added.

"Hopefully FENAVIN has been profitable for the interests of the wine-growing sector. As a provincial institution there is not much more we can do, however, if we have managed to add value to the wine that is stored, then I will feel a bit more satisfied and I will understand that the public funds that have been allocated have gone to good use", de Lara affirmed.

On his part, the Federal Secretary of the UPA assured that it is very important that in a fair as relevant as FENAVIN groups of producers and farmers come together to talk about the sector's current affairs. Ramos explained that the third most important crop in Spain is the grape, in a country that counts with the greatest producing surface in the world, representing a third of the sector in the European Union.

For the national representative of the UPA, a forum in which administrators, producers, institutions and associations participate to analyze the current situation of a sector from which many families live, a crop that has no alternative and that generates both a social function, establishing people in the territory and an environmental function is indeed of great relevance, he added. "We must fight with tooth and nails to defend it and for this we need the figures to balance-out, we must be profitable", Ramos concluded.

The Secretary General of the UPA in Ciudad Real, Martín Moreno, informed that the idea behind the sessions was to review application of the CMO on Wine, of which the first dispositions are now being applied, this with the ulterior aim of analyzing the sector.

In his opinion the situation that the wine-growing producers are undergoing is "rather complicated", because there is still much wine to be sold, thus I consider that the Trade Fair is a fantastic frame for this encounter we are having.

Moreno indicated that the technicians in the different administrations and the sector experts, this morning, will be analyzing what the future holds in store for the producers of the sector, "a future that is important", he concluded.

A complete program

Four lectures of diverse nature are programmed after the inauguration, which from different approaches will put the main challenges that the current global situation represents for the Spanish wine sector on the table. José Manuel Delgado, of the Federal UPA, will be the first to intervene, with an analysis of the impact that the recent implementation of the new CMO on Wine will have in Spain. José Antonio Gómez Barona, in representation of the State Agricultural Insurance Entity (ENESA) will then describe the delicate matter of agricultural insurance in the vineyard. The third lecture will be to the account of Domingo Valiente, Secretary General of the FIVIN (Research Foundation for Wine and Nutrition), who will detail the European campaign 'Wine in Moderation' for the audience, campaign that is a commitment between numerous countries of the continent to promote the moderate consumption and healthy values of wine. Finally, Rafael del Rey, Director General of the OEMV (Spanish Wine Market Observatory) will present this recently created institution to the audience, main objective of which is to provide all the social agents of the sector with the best possible information in view of the market decisions that are to be taken.

This is the moment when the real debate will start, 'Present and future of the Spanish wine-growing sector', in which Miguel Briz, Technical Adviser of the General Subdirectorate for Fruits, Vegetables, Olive Oil and Wine Production of the Ministry of Rural, Marine and Natural Environment; Francisco Martínez Arroyo, of the Directorate General for Agricultural Production (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Castilla-La Mancha); Ramón Sáez Gómez, Secretary of Agriculture of the UPA-CLM, and Cecilio González Blasco, President of the Manchuela Denomination of Origin Regulation Council will be participating, with Eusebio Fernández, Representative of the Federal-UPA in charge of moderating the debate.